Faculty Friend Program Outline

Mission:

Move faculty into the residence halls in order to extend more meaningful relationships with students. These relationships will provide benefits for both students and faculty to gain new experiences and have a meaningful exchange of ideas.

Description of Program:

A Faculty Friend is a volunteer who has made a commitment to be a member of a residence hall floor community for an academic year. Faculty Friends are expected, through their experiences within and outside of their academic discipline, to add something special to the community. Faculty Friends work with hall staffs to development dynamic programs for both learning communities and general hall programs across campus.

Faculty Friends may have an interest or avocation to share with their residents. Some Friends might be able to arrange special tours or lectures on campus. Others may discuss life at OSU from the viewpoint of a faculty member. Regardless of the activity, the Friend's association with the floor is intended to accomplish five goals:

1. Provide undergraduate residents with role models or mentors
2. Encourage residents' use of faculty as resources for information, referral or informal advising
3. Increase students' understanding of faculty life at OSU
4. Increase faculty members' understanding of student life at OSU
5. Meet the needs of those faculty who want more informal contact with undergraduates

Overview of Program:

• Place one faculty member of floors of the residence halls
• Each participating floor will receive $100/qtr for the program in the floor funds
• Faculty member will plan activities with the RA as well as attend other floor activities based on his/her time schedule
• Program will be evaluated monthly with RA and quarterly with Faculty Friend
• Quarterly events for all participating in the program (i.e. Faculty Friends, resident advisors, and residents) will take place.

Responsibilities of Resident Advisor & Faculty Friend:

• RA is responsible for contacting the faculty friend about floor activities
• Faculty is responsible for participating in a minimum of three floor activities as well as contacting RA with times that are convenient for faculty member
• Faculty and RA are responsible for evaluating the program as well as contacting correct person when a problem exists
• RA is in charge of the money (money will be in hall council funds just as regular floor funds) and the R.A. must ensure that the $100 is spent on Faculty Friend Programs